Largely grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, avocado (Persea
americana Mill) contains 3 – 30% of oil in its pulp, depending on the variety. This study
profiled the quality attributes of oil obtained from ‘Hass’ avocado cultivar using the cold
press method of extraction. Physicochemical properties of saponification value (SV), acid
value (AV), percentage free fatty acid (FFA) and colour were determined for the extracted
oil samples. Sensory analysis was conducted to determine consumer acceptability of the
‘Hass’ avocado oil extract. Results of the analysis showed a significant difference
(p<0.05) in the SV, AV and FFA of the avocado oil extract. A significant difference was
also found to exist in the L* and a* colour properties of the extracted oil. On the
determination of the organoleptic properties, it was observed that consumers displayed a
higher preference for commercial pure avocado oil than the extracted oil used in this
study, although extracted ‘Hass’ avocado oil exhibited higher physicochemical properties
when compared to commercial pure avocado oil.
